City of Beaverton: City Library

Background

The Beaverton City Library is at the center of the local community. It has the highest circulation of any public library in the state of Oregon, with over 792,000 visitors entering its doors during the past year, and serves as the main community meeting place. The City spent over $100,000 per year on utility costs at the Library, an uncharacteristically high amount for this type of facility, particularly considering that it was built in 2001.

The City of Beaverton chose the Library as its showcase not only for the financial opportunities the project represents, but also for its ability to provide educational opportunities on energy reduction and sustainability to the large number of citizens that access the Library’s services. The Energy Reduction project was initiated in mid-2012.

Solutions

A variety of energy efficiency mechanisms were implemented at the Library, including a complete retro-commissioning of the lighting and heating controls. The retro-commissioning work included the review and monitoring of the lighting systems and heating and cooling equipment to ensure the building operates as designed, which resulted in a list of detailed recommendations on how to improve the facility’s energy performance. This portion of the project totaled $33,500. The savings continued by installing an updated heating and cooling monitoring system at a cost of $17,850.

In addition to these larger upgrades, staff also implemented several low-to-no cost energy saving measures and behavior change initiatives that have resulted in significant energy savings as highlighted below:

Energy monitoring pilot program: The pilot program, provided through Northwrite and incentivized through the Energy Trust of Oregon, offers 15 minute interval monitoring of energy usage, web-based tracking, and an expert energy analyst for low-to-no cost recommendations. Most importantly, this monitoring allows employees to identify trends, respond quickly to equipment malfunction alerts, and make changes in real time.
Project cost after incentives $2,900. Estimated annual savings $10,700.
Lighting schedule changes: Indoor lighting was altered to come on later and turn off earlier. The janitorial crew’s schedule was changed so that lighting could be turned off as each floor was cleaned, rather than turning on and off during the cleaning schedule.
Project cost: $0.00 Expected annual savings $3,250.
Computer energy reduction initiative: Staff installed power management software to automatically turn off 125 computers at night and turn them back on in the morning.
Project cost after incentives: $350.00. Expected annual savings $3,560.
Unexpected results from roof replacement: The Library roof was leaking, resulting in wet insulation, wall damages and other repair needs. For these reasons, the library roof was replaced in October 2012 with a new membrane. City leadership took the opportunity to purchase much denser, energy efficient insulation. Although this upgrade was done for reasons other than energy efficiency, the project resulted in significant energy savings.

ANNUAL ENERGY USE

(Source EUI)

ANNUAL ENERGY COST

ANNUAL WATER USE

ANNUAL WATER COST

ANNUAL PLANT ELECTRICITY USE

ANNUAL PLANT ELECTRICITY COST

IN BUILDING ENERGY USE

IN BUILDING ENERGY COST

ACROSS NETWORK USE

ACROSS NETWORK COST

ANNUAL EMISSIONS

USE

COST

Interior view of the Beaverton City Library

Skylights at the Beaverton City Library

Exterior view of the Beaverton City Library

City of Beaverton: City Library

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Interior view of the Beaverton City Library

Skylights at the Beaverton City Library

Exterior view of the Beaverton City Library